Study: Buying a Home Is 44% Cheaper Than Renting

The recent rises in asking prices has been outpacing the increases in rents, but home buying still may make more financial sense, a new study shows. Owning a house was found to be 44 percent cheaper than renting, according to the latest study from Trulia that compared the costs of the two.

The study found that owning is less than half the cost of renting in 46 of the 100 largest metros. “Buying a home is cheaper than renting in all of the 100 largest metro areas,” according to Trulia.

Falling mortgage rates are helping to keep home buying more affordable. But depending on where you live, the difference between owning versus renting can be big or small. For example, in San Francisco, home ownership was found to be 19 percent cheaper than renting, whereas in Detroit owning a house is 70 percent cheaper than renting.

The following are places where home purchases exceed renting by the highest amounts: